Stubborn!
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Naruto encounters Ino first when he returns to the village. What changes will this bring to his future? Can Ino overcome her pain and stuborness to finally see what she's been looking for all along? A good man? What of Orochimaru? Why is he after Naruto?
1. Who is She? Reunion! Naruto and Ino!

A man looked down upon the village, a man who was SUPPOSED to be dead. His green eyes were warm with amusement as he watched from atop the village gates, his pale hair wafting in the wind as he knew, less than a day from now, Naruto Uzumaki would return here.

A cool night breeze blew through his hair, and he did not feel it, despite the fact that he was still alive, by some miracle. He had one more task to finish, one more goal to see through to the end, before he would allow death to take him in its lethally deceptive embrace.

He would awaken his Kekai Genkai soon. VERY soon. And for one of the rare moments in his life, a genuine smile was on the face of the dying Kaguya as he looked down into the sleepy village, easily seeing all the guards and sentinels that roamed about, despite the far distance that separated them. "Ah. It would seem that Lord Orochimaru was right. I'm not the last of my clan after all. This is good news indeed. But before I deliver him to Orochimaru, I need to ascertain whether he will be able to revive our clan first. THEN he will go to him."

Six years should be a long enough wait, after Sasuke's body had run its course...

The sanin had told his trusted servant that he believed he had found another Kaguya, another ideal host for him to take, after he stole Sasuke's body. As soon as he was told of this, he had gone to see the truth for himself, and he berated himself for doubting his lord, as he, even though he could not see him, could tell that another Kaguya was near.

That and he could smell the scent of ramen that had been on the boy when they first fought. He needed to trust his master's judgement and believe that the sannin knew what he was doing. He was complex at times, and his plans often involved time and patience.

However, time was not on the side of the ailing Kaguya, nor was he in good health.

But that had nearly killed him, his faithfully blind devotion to his master. His humble and unquestioning servitude had nearly been the death of him, and indeed, Orochimaru was quite surprised, when Kimimaru walked through the doors of the base, under his own power, as if nothing had happened.

Then, after he overcame the initial shock, he informed the Kaguya that their was a mission waiting for one of his exceptional talent. Finding and recruiting another recently discovered Kaguya, one who had not yet awakened his Kekai Genkai, the lethal Dead Bone Pulse.

And yet it was so good to see, to KNOW that another Kaguya had indeed survived the foolish war with the Mist Village. It was even better to soon be able see him with his own eyes. "But he'll need someone to train him. I only hope (cough) that I can stave off this disease for yet a little (cough) longer." With that thought firmly in mind, Kimimaru, of the Sound Five, made a pact to himself right then and there. as he crossed his arms across his chest. He would help this young Kaguya, who was just now starting to awaken his abilities. He would teach him how to use them properly, to become a true terror on the battlefield, both on offense and defense.

He would make him the best warrior he could be. And he would teach him all he knew.

Which was quite a lot.

After all, it was the least a dying man could do, for the future generation, the next in line, who could start the rebirth of the Kaguya, and bring them back to glory. And hopefully, they wouldn't go on a killing spree, and get wiped out again.

After all, the future of his-no, the Future of THEIR clan now rested firmly on Naruto's shoulders. His own time was fast drawing to a close, even at this very moment. At best, he had two months before this wretched cancer claimed him permanently. It would be up to HIM, Naruto Uzumaki, to revive their long since thought to be dead clan, for that was now beyond the reach of him, with his disease spreading every day, slowly taking his life even now.

Naruto would have to keep any of their ancestors from making a foolish war with another village, and getting themselves killed again. And his master was overjoyed at the thought of getting a hold of a rare and powerful vessel such as a Kaguya. It was as if fate was giving him a second chance.

"Naruto. You must keep them from committing to such a foolish act. The fate of our clan rests upon you now."

--

There he was, standing atop the roof of them, gazing out over the village, a wide grin on his face as the wind blew his blond hair. "Ah, it's SO good to be home again!" His voice was filled with mirth as he said this, and he realized how badly he had missed this place, and all the sights and sounds that went along with it.

He gave a content sigh and crossed his arms behind his head, letting the cool breeze of home blow past his face, as if to welcome the longtime genin home, along with the scent of ramen for Ichiraku, that wafted through his nostrils. Jiraiya stood next to him and he to had to admit, it felt good to stop by his home. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw it, and grinned ans he nudged Naruto in the side with one elbow and pointed to the the Hokage monument.

He could barely hold back his laughter as he saw it: "Hey look at the Stone faces!"

Naruto turned his gaze on the Hokage faces, and quirked a blond eyebrow in amusement. What they saw was this: Tsunade's face had been added to the four Hokage's, but someone had defaced all five of them now, and Naruto had a pretty good idea as to who the culprit was, as he heard a jonin shout: "KONOHAMARU! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT THIS VERY INSTANT!"

That would be Ebisu, Konohamaru's sensei. And he was chasing after the energetic genin, much like Iruka had done with Naruto, so many years ago. "It looks like Konahomaru has been following in my footsteps as a prankster."

Jiraiya nodded as they watched Ebisu chase the teenager their way, kicking up a large cloud of dust as he did so, and somehow eluding the man, far better than Naruto had. He blanched at the memory, as they watched the new genin easily evade the special Jonin's attempts to capture him again and again, ducking dodging, and jumping over three shadow clones that came at him from the front, in a headlong rush, attempting to slow him down.

And he restrained a chuckle at the boy's antics, as the three clones ran into each other and dispelled, leaving an increasingly annoyed Ebisu to continue his pursuit of the genin once more. "Yep. He's just like me when I was his age." Now he did laugh, as Konohamaru backpedaled away from a balcony, avoiding a net thrown by a clone, only for Ebisu, who was running too fast to stop, to get caught up in his own trap.

"Except he's much better at running away, AND embarassing Jonin." He let out a content sigh as they ran out of sight, then feeling a pair of eyes on him, he glanced down and saw an unfamiliar teen girl with long blond hair staring up at him from below, her eyes alight with glee, as if she recognized him.

She seemed to know him. But the ramen loving Uzumaki was _certain _he would have remembered meeting such a beautiful girl. Wracking his mind, he searched for an image of her, but got nothing, which of course, furthered his confusion. Who was she, this angel that recognized him, but that he knew not?

Long story short, he had no idea who this beautiful vixen was. "Neh? Who's that?" Jiraiya, seeing where Naruto was looking, intsantly got a nosebleed, and stammered a bit as he recognized who this was. "Whoa mama! She certainly blossomed over the last three years! They're even bigger than Tsunade's What a chick! What big-

He would have said more, had not a kunai whizzed past his left ear, slicing off a few white hairs, and making him pale, as he hadn't even _seen _her throw the deadly knife. "YIPE!" Was his cry, as another whizzed pas his right ear, causing him to duck and cover, as he got out of the way of several more.

Now she was glaring at the sannin with all the fury of Tsunade, and if she had been said Sannin Jiraiya was certain that he would be six feet under now. So just this once, for fear of his life, he took several steps back, and sat down, getting out of her range, just as a shuriken whizzed over his grey head. "She's all yours kid. I'm not getting anywhere near her!"

Naruto was flabbergasted as the pervert pulled out a pencil and his notebook, and began to write, sneaking peeks down at the girl, who would throw a shuriken at him each time with near lethal accuracy causing him to quickly pull his head out of the way, or get a shurkien embedded in his teeth. "Come on Ero-sennin! Who _is _she?!"

The pervert rapidly shook his head from side to side as he felt the killer intent directed at him, and his well being. No way in hell was he going down there! "Go see for yourself baka! I'm staying right up here where its safe!"

This made Naruto a bit nervous, as he too did not want to meet his end at the business end of several kunai knives. "Oh man, I hope she doesn't go after me next!"

But Naruto soon got his answer, as he peered over the ledge, fearing she would turn her fury on him. He breathed a sigh of relief when she did not, and soon found out her identity as her blue eyes locked with his own, and a familiar voice came from her mouth, and she waved a hand up at him in greeting. "Ohayo Naruto-kun! How was your little trip?"

His eyes got as wide as saucers, he could not believe his ears. HER?! Ero-sennin wasn't kidding! _'W-WHAT?! THAT'S-_

Needles to say, he nearly fell of the gates, so great was his surprise, as he windmilled a bit to keep his balance. "NANI?!I-Ino?! Is that you?!" Again she grinned and raised a hand in greeting to him. "Hai! Its me!" She took a step back as he, moving faster than the eye could see leapt down to land right in front of her, his blue eyes boring into her own with piercing intsenity.

"Wow." Was all he could murmur, bringing himself to his feet as he gave her a quick once over, causing her to blush lightly, and shie her face away from his, her cheeks a pale red from the blush. "How do I look?' was her soft murmur, and her face lit up in a wide smile as murmured another; "Wow." He was absolutely _amazed_ had how much she had changed over three years. She had...well grown up. A LOT. _'This is Ino? Wow. She looks... _

_'Well, at least SOMEONE thinks I look nice..._

He had grown, and so had she. The two blond's were now nearly equal in height, with Naruto at the six foot mark, and Ino slightly under it. Their outfits hand changed as well (You already know their Shipudden outfits)

She was no longer flat chested, nor did she look anything like a little girl. Puberty had hit her full blast, and where once she had flat chest, there was now a surprisingly large bossom, that strained against the fabric of her shirt, causing it to further expose her midriff, whilst her purple skirt only served to further accentuate her wide hips.

And Ino's mind, Naruto had changed quite a bit as well, and the thought brought a light blush to her face. Now longer was he a short, scrawny little genin. Now as mentioned before, he was past the six foot mark, and judging by the look of his tan skin, and toned muscular arms, he had used the three years of training to their fullest extent.

But as he stood up, she found herself oddly out of breath, and at a loss for words as he stood tall before her, despite the fact that they were nearly equal in height.

She berated herself mentally for this. _'Stupid! Say something! It's just Naruto! It's not like he's some dark mysterious sexy stranger or something!'_

But she still found herself unable to speak, her mouth refusing to open, her tongue refusing to articulate the words. Naruto grinned down at her, seemingly calm and collected, but in reality he too found his mind as blank as a clean slate. He couldn't say anything either. _'Say something gaki! Why can't I talk to her?!'_

The silence stretched onward, and the two felt the tension grow thick, their cerulean orbs locked with the blue eyes of his/her fellow blond, neither of them able to find the words to speak, nor a topic on which to start a conversation, and end the uncomfortable silence.

At last, Naruto figured out SOMETHING to say, and blurted out the first thing that came off the top of his head. "S-So how have you been I-Ino? see you got a new outfit. Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

He felt like smacking himself on the head as he saw the confused look on her face. _'Smooth Naruto, REAL smooth! Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?' That was the WORST line ever!'_

And yet his hasty query had shaken her out of her stupor, and he almost missed her response, catching the tail end of what she was saying "-Chunin while you were away."

He blinked once, and Ino let out a small sigh as she realized he had just missed what she had said. " Gomen, but could you say that again? I was kinda spaced out."

He scratched the back of his head as he apologized, and Ino couldn't help herself, as she gave off a small giggle. "Maybe that's why you had the lowest grades in class?"

THAT did it. Now they had something to talk about. Not that Naruto was too happy about his horrendous academy grades, but it was a springboard for conversation at least. Even if it wasn't a topic he was particularly fond of

An angry expression formed on his face, when in reality, he was just annoyed. "Hey! I didn't space out!" With a loud humph, he crossed his bare arms in front of himself, and looked away from her. "That stuff was just so boring, that I ignored it!"

Now he jabbed a finger at her, which made her blink once, a surprised/startled expression on her face. "Besides, that slacker of a teammate Shikamaru was the one who always spaced and fell asleep in class!"

Her face fell a bit at the mention of Shikamaru's name, and it did not go unnoticed by Naruto. "Uh...Did I say something wrong?" She shook her head, and made a pretend expression of shock as she looked down at her watch."Oh! I have to go... Plant some flowers! Yeah, that's right! I can't neglect my chores or my dad'll kill me! Bye Naruto-kun, I'll see you later or something!"

And in a swirl of purple petals, she was gone, leaving a startled and confused Naruto in her wake. "Was it something I said?" He mentally ran over their brief encounter, which had gone quite well, until he had mentioned-

His eyes narrowed, as the obvious conclusion reached him.

Shikamaru. The instant he had mentioned the lazy Nara, Ino had gone from perky and happy, to dull and somber. Did soemthing happen while he was gone? Now he DID slap himself on the forehead, for being such a dumbbell. Something must've gone screwy between those two, and after three years of his absence, who KNEW what it was?

But before he could speculate on it further, he was nearly tackled to the ground by Sakura, who caught him in a flying glomp, giving him a friendly hug, glad to see her teammate again. "Naruto! You're back!"

But for once, he wasn't focused on Sakura, and as soon as she released him from her near bone crushing grip, he inquired of her where Ino lived now.

"Oh? So you WERE talking to her. I thought so." But little did he know, that he had just been indoctrinated into Sakura's 'Cheer up Ino!' plan. _'This is PERFECT! Naruto's just the kind of guy to keep Ino in high spirits! She's been so depressed ever since Shikamaru and Temari started dating last year..._

But our now not so dumb blond shinobi sensed that something was afoot. He didn't like the mischievous tone in her voice when she said the last part. It was like she knew something he didn't. And to a shinobi, being kept out of the loop was not a good thing. You usually wound up dead in a ditch somewhere as a result.

But when she gave him the directions to Ino's new apartment, his fears were assuaged, somewhat at least."Good to see you to Sakura...

--

Little did he know, that Ino had NOT gone home to 'plant some flowers'. Instead, she had hidden behind a nearby building, and was bawling her eyes out, safe from prying eyes, and yet not safe from this torrent of emotions that would not let her be. "Shikamaru," She sobbed, still feeling the emotional grief, that had been born when she witnessed the heartbreaking sight of the two shinobi holding hands in public.

She had never really had any beef with Temari, but that was only because she NEVER ever anticipated the two getting together. Shikamaru was a genius, but he was exceptionally lazy, and could often be found taking a nap, or just staring up at the clouds.

Temari was a brash and hardheaded tomboy, one who was always working to make herself better, to become a top notch kunoichi, the very best in the Hidden Sand Village. The two rarely even _saw _each other, but all that had changed when Temari had actually _volunteered _to be Suna's official ambassador to Konoha.

After that, the two saw each other practically every single day, and Ino still berated herself to this very moment, for not having seen such a thing coming. Maybe it had been in part for her feelings for Sasuke, whom she had only recently given up on, in hopes of seeing a change in the behavior of Shikamaru, who she had been secretly developing feelings for.

HAD been.

But as soon as she had seen him with Temari, her heart had shattered yet again. Just like it had when Sasuke had gone to Orochimaru, and left the Hidden Leaf forever.

"Why did you have to go and do that. Why...

She had never thought the slacker would ever take the initiative in his life, but he had, and that initiative, had been to make known his feelings to a certain Suna kunoichi. "I (sniff) finally get over Sasuke, and just when I think I can fall for someone else, BAM! That someone goes and leaves me high and (sob) dry! Some teammate he is!"

She felt miserable. She felt weak. A true shinobi doesn't show his/her emotions, she told herself, but whoever had made up that rule was obviously either drunk at the time, or just not a very sentimental person to begin with. But all the other Jonin and Chunin were easily able to mask their emotions, and yet she alone failed miserably in that regard.

Her weakness made her sick to her stomach. Not from her emotions, but the constant pain her grief gave her. She wanted THAT emotion gone. But to not grieve is to not be human, and she took small comfort in the fact that at least she _could _cry, unlike some of the Anbu she knew, who had bottled up their emotions for so long, that they didn't remember, nor know how, to let them out again.

But overall, she was tired of it. Tired of feeling sad, tired of the grief and guilt, and REALLY tired of bawling her eyes out. "I can't keep crying like a little-

Her ears pricked up as she heard voices from below the abandoned building in which she had hidden. "Who could that be?" Now to make one thing perfectly clear, the grief stricken Yamanaka usually wasn't one to spy on others. She considered eavesdropping on her friends and family EXTREMELY rude, and it only gave her much confusion, if she were to hear circumstantial words, and not the entire conversation. But in her current state decided to have a look, just to focus herself on anything but this terrible sadness.

Tiptoeing across the creaky wooden boards, so as not to make a sound, she slowly and carefully made her way across the small room, and as she neared the window, she was able to recognize one of the voices as Sakura's. Then as she reached the window, she saw that Naruto was the source of the other voice she had heard. When she looked down out of the barred over window, she saw them, Naruto and Sakura. Instantly, she felt jealousy begin to stir. "You have got to be kidding me! Now Sakura's going after Naruto-kun now? I thought she was still hung up on Sasuke...

Why did she feel jealous? It wasn't like she owned the blond or anything. They were just friends after all...

But still a little part of her, the part that just wanted someone to hold her, whispered little ideas into her head. _**'But I bet he'd be a heck of a lot more considerate for your feelings.**_

_'You be quiet! Wait a second?! Why am I thinking that?'_

Shaking it off as nothing, she watched as Konohamaru nearly landed on Sakura, and had to bite her lip to keep from yelling as Naruto whirled Sakura out of the way, and into his arms. "No. I don't like him. Nope. Not one-

The tears began to drip off her face again. "I'm not crying. I just have something (sob) in my eye." Not crying...

Then it became just to much for her, and now she DID head for home, as she disappeared in another swirl of purple petals, some of which leaked through the cracks in the boarding of the window...

--

Naruto released Sakura after he denied that she was his girlfriend, and had to stifle a laugh as Konohamaru showed off Naruto's original technique, the Sexy Jutsu. As soon as he turned into the smoke covered woman, Jiraiya immediately got a _huge _nosebleed, and keeled over on his back twitching sporadically, whilst Sakura's jaw dropped at the jutsu. _'Why you little pervert!_

Naruto's thoughts were somewhat different. _'Nice one. Looks like you've gotten better at using-_

Then he blinked, as a now familiar purple petal brushed past his nose. _'Ino? I thought she went home? Was she-_

But Sakura was looking at him expectantly now, trying to gauge his reaction to the perverted display that they had just bore witness to. _'If she's expecting me to actually congratulate him out loud, then she's got another thing coming..._

Naruto however had a different reaction. He smiled an shook his head, a bemused smile on his face. "Hey, I'm to old to be soing such childish things. And you should know better Konohamaru." Said genin jaw dropped, and he released the jutsu, the fading smoke revealing the startle look on the now un-henged genin. "Say what?! What the hell have you done with the real boss?!" Sakura smiled at this new display of maturity, and nodded sagely, whilst inwardly she was laughing her ass of at the reaction of the third Hokage's grandson.

Her tone was like that of a mother scolding her child, with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "He's right. Such perverted acts disgrace women. You should be ashamed of yourself." The genin hung his head, but Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder, and grinned as he handed the boy a scroll, his tone serious. "Here, try learning _this _jutstu. It's an A-rank jutsu known as the Rasengan."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at this, as Naruto explained the three steps and so on.

_'Wow Naruto. You really have grown up.' _Then he saw Sakura smirking out of the corner of his eyes, and something told the sannin, that Naruto was about to have a long day...


	2. You HAVE to Come! Sakura's Persistence!

Naruto rolled his eyes into the back of his head as he strolled down the street, with Sakura in tow, who was trying to convince him to go somewhere. "No, I'm not interested in whatever it might be. For now, I just want to go home and catch some shut eye. I've been going nonstop to get there since yesterday, and I just (yawn) wanna get some sleep."

He ignored the sound of her stamping her foot in annoyance, and kept right on going sidestepping an oncoming cart as he did so, then her rapid footfalls were heard behind him a second later as she caught back up with him, still pleading her case. "But Naruto-kun, I'm sure you'd like this! Come on, at least hear-

She skidded to a halt as he suddenly whirled about, and looked her square in the eye, now looking royally peeved, as he looked down at her, for he was now a good head length taller than her. "Then tell me what the hell it is already!" I don't have all day you know!"

In response, she handed him a yellow flyer, smiling brightly as he snatched it out of her hand, even if he was a little rude about it. "Here. Just read this, and it'll explain everything." She frowned at his hesitation, and she could see that he just wanted to go home right now. "Read it already, you lazy baka! Or you'll get no peace from me!"

His grumpiness disrupted by the simple action, he did so grumbling to himself a bit as he read over it, confusion and surprise washing away his annoyance as he saw it was actually directions for a...club? "Neh? The Konoha Club?" He looked up from the paper now, and gave Sakura a curious stare. "What the hell is this? You want me to go to some kinda club?"

Now she appeared behind him, and pointed to the address of it. "Baka, its a dance club. Not some members only treehouse thing that we used to do back when we were kids."

_'Oh. That cleared it up a bit..._

Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru helped found it while you were away, and its been a HUGE sucess ever since opening night. It even has its own special Dj" The mention of Ino made him frown a bit, as he remembered that stray violet petal that had landed on his nose. "Whose idea was it?"

_'Yes! Phase one complete! I've got him interested, now I just have to reel him in.' _Her smile was as bright and cheery as ever, as she moved to stand in front of him again. "Ino was the one who wanted to build it, and she forced Shikamaru and Choji to take on extra missions, just like she did, in order to pay for everything. "You really should-

He interupted her, as she had planned, his curiosity now aroused. "Why did she do that? The idea for the club I mean."

He was beginning to take the bait. Now he just needed to bite, and then she would be able to reel him in at her own pace. '_So far so good. Now let's see if my luck holds..._

The aprentice to Tsunade rolled her shoulders now, and made it seem like she didn't care, further interesting him as she nonchalantly spoke. "Beats me. She said something about wanting to make the village more fun for our generation, and leave her own mark on this village. She worked so hard to pay for it, and even Shikamaru wasn't lazy for once. They took on all comers, and all missions, just to raise enough money. They did so well, that Tsunade-sama and I even helped to fund for the lights and the sound equipment."

Now, even though he was a bit sleepy, he was interested, judging by the foxy smile that was beginning to form on his face, exposing his now sharper teeth. " Thanks for the explanation, but what about you?"

She blinked at this, shock briefly flashing over her features as she realized that perhaps too much might have been given away. Not good. Not good at all.. _'Crap, gotta improvise!' _"Nani? What about me, Naruto-kun? What is it?"

Oh no, he wasn't letting her off that easy. Something was up, and he intended to find out what it was. " Don't play stupid with me. Why were you so adamant about showing me this? Even when I said I wasn't interested, you still kept at it, until I finally caved in. So why the persitence all of a sudden?"

He had her there, and she knew it, even though he might not. _'Damnit! I can't tell him about my plan, or everything will- Wait a second, I've got it!'_

Well, there was one way. It could work, but then again, it could easily backfire in her face and his, breaking Ino's heart even further. You see, the problem here was that she too had given up on any hope of Sasuke returning, and much like Ino had finally moved on. But unlike her friend, she had started to develop some feelings for her blond teammate during the past few years.

And that made this very dangerous, for both her, Naruto, AND Ino as well. What would happen if she let those feelings slip? Was he over her, and if he was not, and she screwed this up, Ino would be the one who got screwed over, in the worst possible way, by her own best friend, who might take Naruto from her. Of course that was not Sakura's intent, but if Ino saw Sakura there with Naruto, she would no doubt be crushed, and never speak to her again. _'I just have to remember, I can NOT kiss him. I just need to give him a good reason to come the club, as well as drag Ino there as well. Look's like I'm going out tonight.'_

"Well Naruto-kun, you see, It's been really boring around here for the past three years, and I've missed you a bit." She giggled a bit at how stupid she sounded, then taking a deep breath said the words that she never, EVER thought she would say to him. " What I'm trying to say is...Do you want to go out with me tonight? On a date?"

His expression was unreadable. He seemed to stiffen a bit, yet the smile was still there, even if it was just a _tiny _bit smaller. His eyes did not ice over, but nor did they fill with warmth. In fact aside from crossing his arms over his chest, he did not even seem to move at all. "A date. You're asking _me _out on a date?" His tone was incredulous, and disbelieving, and Sakura knew she had given him good reason for doubt over their childhood.

But this was the only surefire way to get him to come. And it was also the most risky, and dangerous. She gave him a firm nod, and looked right into his cerulean blue eyes, unflinching unwavering, as was her tone, as they received strange looks and stares from passerby, who wondered what was going on between the two well known Shinobi.

This was it. All or nothing. This had to work, or Ino would never be happy again. She would likely never fall in love again. Naruto was the perfect candidate for her friend, and Sakura would sooner DIE than pair her with anyone else. Naruto was the only one who would take care of a girl, treat her right, and in every imaginable way. It almost made her a little jealous. "Yes. Yes I am. So are you interested?"

For a second, she saw doubt in his face, and she feared that he would decline, and if he were to do that, her plan, the one to cheer up Ino beyond belief, would fail miserably. But then he uncrossed his arms, and his body posture loosened somewhat, as did the disbelief in his voice. "Ah what the hell? Sure, I'll go out with you tonight. The Konoha Club right?"

"Hai. You can stop by my house at-

She spared a brief glance at her watch, and saw that it was 2:00. "How's seven sound?"

He gave a shrug. "Sure, I'll pick you up at seven. Later Sakura-chan." Then, he turned his back to her, and calmly walked down the street, disappearing into the crowd of villagers and shinobi, that were busily and yet calmly going about their everyday lives, having matters of their own to attend to, and such.

Sakura waited until he was fully out of sight, and only then did she dare to breathed a sigh of relief, but it was a stressful sigh as well. The easy part was done, and it had gone off without a hitch. Now came the hard part, and if she slipped up just once, she would ruin everything, for both Naruto and Ino. Whilst a small part of herself secretly wished that, she knew that Ino deserved someone like Naruto, and in truth, there was no one else out there like him.

These thoughts and more were fluttering about in her head as she made her way for home, to get ready for the night, and to find someone to keep Ino occupied and AWAY from Naruto until then, and vice a versa for the other blond. It wouldn't do for him to run into Ino, and then blab that Sakura had asked him out.

Heck, Ino would probably track down Sakura and beat the crud out of her, no questions asked, and no mercy given. That would happen if things went sour. But...

If all went well, by tomorrow, there would be a new couple in Konoha.

It was almost a shame that she hadn't realized her feelings for him, until it was almost to late. But in her mind, there was no almost. Ino was the one who deserved him. Brash and bold they both might be, but the Yamanaka could be everything Naruto deserved, and so could he for her. She would find someone eventually, or so she hoped, because it still hurt, just a tiny bit, to know that despite the fact that she had asked him out, she was going to literally give him away to Ino.

But two stubborn, hardheaded blonds?

Equals a perfect match.


	3. A Deal with the Devil?

Ino let out a depressed sigh as she lowered the watering can slightly, allowing the violets in her garden to soak up the moisture, and drink in the healthy life giving liquid. "There we go. Much better." As if in response, the flowers seemed to visibly brighten, as if they were truly enjoying the water that she had just given them.

That made her smile a bit, but it didn't help her with her current problem, understanding boys. "If only boys were as easy to understand as flowers," Was her confused mumble. "Then I might have better luck with them...

Why the heck did she feel so...

She heard a chuckle in her head, and groaned as she heard a familiar voice. Her own.**"Aw, what's wrong, Ino? Are you...jealous?"**

Her frown deepened as she told her inner self to shut it. The blond was not in the right state of mind to be having conversations with herself. _'Go away, I'm not in the mood-_

Her inner self snorted in contempt at the weary protest. **_"And do I give a damn whether you're in the mood? I certainly do not."_**

Rolling her eyes, she moved on to the next set of flowers, a pair of bright red roses. She angrily stamped her foot as she remembered what the crimson red flowers symbolized. "Love. Hmph. I've had just about enough 'love' to last me a lifetime."

Once again 'she' chimed in, putting in her unwanted two cents. **_"Bullshit. You like Naruto, and we both know it."_**

She shook her head, and for once was glad that the flower shop was closed, as it would not do for customers to see her talking to herself. "Do not. I barely even knew him before he left. And all I did was chat with him when he came back."

An angry tone entered the voice of her other self, causing her to visibly wince at the harsh tone of her alternate personality. **_"BAKA! Then get to know him better now, before Sakura snatches him right out from under you!"_**

"No. I don't want to deny Sakura here happiness." She now set aside the water can, as she heard a knock at the door. Even though the shop was closed, she could use a little distraction. Anything would do, just to cheer her up a bit.

**_"Stupid gaki," _**Chided Inner Ino as the real Ino put the watering can away.**_ "Then what are you going to do?"_**

Ino paid her inner half no attention as she swayed across the room in a few long strides, and placed her hand on the doorknob, beginning to turn it to the right and open it as she recognized Lee behind the screen of the door. _'I'll just let the whole thing play itself out..._

_--_

He had gotten a good hour of sleep, and now he had decided it was time for some training. He had already gone through some basic taijutsu and ninjutsu exercises, and now it was time for a little target practice, before he took a little stroll around the village, and got ready for his date

He picked a dummy, and in a blur of movement, he had five shuriken in each hand. "Okay...Hah!"

Oh yes, he had certainly fixed his clumsiness problem over the last three years. With a quick snap of his wrist, he threw the shuriken at the practice dummy, only for them to miss horribly, as they seemed to curve aside at the last second. "Damn it!" His hissed, as he saw that only one out of the five had even come close to hitting its mark,

All the others hadn't even come close.

Grumbling under his breath, he stalked forward, and reached down for the first throwing star, cursing its uselessnes. But as he pocketed the weapon, and looked back up, he saw a most startling sight. Kimimaru stood before him, the cold green eyes of the Kaguya locked on Naruto, who was still crouched down on one knee.

Needless to say, Naruto was shocked. "What the hell?! What are YOU-

A second later, he felt a pone spear pressed against his neck, and he wisely froze, not moving an inch. The leader of the Sound Five took note of this, his tone cold, his eyes calculating as he moved the weapon up, forcing Naruto to rise to his feet. "Good. You're not as stupid as before."

"How are you alive?" Naruto hissed, speaking through his teeth, his anger and confusion evident, as his eyes flashed red and became slitted with anger. "Bushy Brow and Gaara said they SAW you die!"

The Kaguya snorted as he lowered the bone pick, causing Naruto to suck in large gulps of air as he lowered his head. "As you know, appearances can be deceiving. But I am here for a reason."

Instantly, Naruto got into a defensive position, his red eyes boring into the Kauya's green. "If it involves Sasuke, I'm all ears."

Kimimaru shook his head as he melted the bone back into his shoulder, with a wet pop. "It has nothing to do with the Uchiha." Naruto frowned at this, and Kimimaru watched with mild interest as a lone tail of red chakra began to bubble up behind Naruto, as the Kyuubi's cloak suddenly appeared around him, in a protective aura.

"However, the reason for my presence here, it has EVERYTHING to do with you, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto bared his now elongated canine teeth at his possible adversary, as he clenched and unclenched his clawed hands, revealing his now elongated claws, his voic edakr and savage, much like his now widened wisker marks. "If that snake wants the nine tails, then you can tell him to stuff it. Or I could just give him your-

Now a second tail of crimson chakra slowly emerged, further increasing Naruto's power, as he glared at the Kaguya. "Your body, in a sack. I'm sure he'd LOVE that."

Kimimaru shook his head at that, then motioned to the nearby target, momentarily confusing Naruto. "Perhaps it would be better if you were SHOWN the reason."

Seconds later, several small bone like bullets were embedded in it, and as a small breeze blew by, the red circle simply collapsed onto itself. Naruto blinked, not getting it, as his red chakra bubble about him.

In a rare moment of exasperation, the Kaguya slapped his forehead, running a hand over his face to mask the annoyance that was hidden there. "I'll just tell you then. You are a Kaguya. Just like me."

Naruto shook his head rapidly at that, but the nervousness was seen on his face as he lowered his hands to his sides. "W-What are you talking-

Then a smirk appeared on his face, as he saw the disbelieving look he was being given.

It would seem that he already knew.

"Oh well, guess the jig's up huh?" Had he not spoken, the Kaguya would never have seen the attack coming. But see it he did, just as several bones shot out of Naruto's chest tearing the fabric of his black muscle shirt. "Die."

But he had forgotten the inhuman speed that the Kaugya possesed, and the untrained attack was not as fast as it could, or _should _have been, and Kimimaru smoothly sidestepped to the left, as his right sleeve was torn off by the extended bones. "Ah, I see you have some experience in your bloodline."

Again, he effortlessly evaded another bone spur, and this time, he slapped away the clumsy movement, giving Naruto a boot to the face in the proccess, that caused the stunned genin to stagger two steps backward, holding his bleeding nose.

"You lack training." Scolded the elder Kaguya, as he watched Naruto's nose heal, and become unbroken. "What you lack in speed, you make up for in power, but what if you face an oponnent that _specializes _in high speed taijutsu? An opponent like myself."

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and focused, as he heard the footfalls of Naruto, coming for him. "Prepare yourself." Then...he simply vanished.

Naruto blinked as his fist met empty air. "Huh?" His oponnent was there one minute, about to be cut through, and gone the next, fading from sight. And if he couldn't see him, then that was NOT a goof thing. "What?! Where did he-

"Behind you."

Before he could even move, he felt a bone blade pressed against his neck, forcing him to freeze again lest an uneccesary movement result in a slit throat. "As I said, you require training."

Naruto tried to shoot several bone spurs out of his back, but they were countered by Kimimaru's own, hodling them fast, and leaving him stuck. "So what?" Hissed Naruto, as he wracked his mind for ways to get out of this sticky situation. "And you're going to offer it, free of charge?"

He blinked as he felt himself released, and he stumbled forward several steps, off balance for a good two seconds.

Two seconds that could have been used to the advantage of his attacker, who oddly enough, did not press his advantage, even when Naruto whirled back around, and had a kunai to the throat of the Kaguya, in a blink of an eye. "Good. Very good." Was the reply he received.

But Naruto knew better than to think he had won, and out of instinct, stepped back , just as bones erupted from the chest and shoulders of his opponent, grazing hise cheek and lef arm, ripping into the flesh, which healed almost instantaneously.

Kimimaru drew another bone blade from his shoulder, and pointed it at the Uzumaki, who was only slightly out of breath.

"I mean what I said boy. Now you can either accpet my gracious offer to hone your skills, OR you can be late for your little date." Taken aback, Naruto glanced down at his watch, and he blanched as he saw that it was 6:00.

He had lost track of the time again. Annoyed, he cast a glance up at the Kaguya, who returned his cold stare. "Do we have a deal?"

_'I don't have time for this..._

"Deal." Oddly enough, those words sounded ominous, as if he had just sold his soul to the devil. He would ponder this later Then in a lightning fast motion, nearly invisible to the naked eye, he chucked a smoke bomb down, and when the thick cloud cleared, he was gone from sight.

Kimiaru let out a sigh as he saw the blond in the distance, running full tilt towards home, to get ready. He retracted the bone back into his body now, a grim smile on his pale face. "Phase one...Complete."

--

Naruto emerged from his apartment, clad in a pair of faded navy blue jeans, and a casual red t-shirt. His blue eyes were calm and cool, as he inhaled deeply, breathing in the night air, and a small smile was on his face as he closed the door behind himself.

He glanced at his watch again, and saw that it was now 6:45. "All right, time to pick up Sakura."

--

Ino rolled her eyes as she read over the note Sakura had sent her. She was no longer clad in her usual outfit, and instead, she now wore a purple, low cut tank top, with a short purple skirt that ended several inches above her knees.

Her long blond hair had been let down, and was no longer in a ponytail, instead her long locks of blond hung over her shoulders, stopping just over her back. "What the heck is this?"

_Ino,_

_Hey don't be so depressed! You need to look on the bright side girl! Come to the club tonight, and I PROMISE you'll have a great time._

_Your friend,_

_Sakura_

She shrugged her shoulders as she set the note down, and grabbed her purse, and keys to the house. "Meh, why not? What have I got to lose?"


	4. Heartbreaker

Naruto was calmly waiting outisde Sakura's apartment, as 7:00 rolled around, and he was surprisingly calm cool and collected, despite the fact that this would be his first 'date' with Sakura. _'Unbelievable. She actually asked ME out.'_

She emerged from the door, and he let out a low whistle as she turned to lock the door behind her. "Dang."

Instantly she turned around, but instead of a scowl, she wore a smile, as well as a light red blush upon her cheeks. Performing a small twirl, she gave him a good look at her outfit, her now longer hair twirling about her from the movement, before she glided to a stop on her left heel.

"How do I look?"

What she wore, was actually quite surprising.

Gone was the ugly dress/outift she always wore, and in its place was a black strapless halter top, which strained against the large bossom Sakura now boasted.

Aye, she had _definitely _matured over the years.

In addition to the halter top, she also sported a a dark leather skirt, which ended several inches above her knees, serving to further accentuate her figure.

She also wore black high heels which brought her ensamble to a close, leacing her at around the same height as him.

Taking long smooth strides down the short flight of steps that was her porch, se easily wafted over to him, wide hips swaying as she did so, deliberately accentuating her movements, walking a fine line now.

"Hot." Was Naruto's simple reply as she stopped before him on equal footing now, thanks to the high heels.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Was her sultry reply, whilst she visibly restrained herself from any other expression of the desire she was beginning to feel.

_'Gotta be careful here. I can't afford to overdo it, or Ino's heart is gonna be wrecked.'_

Smirking, he extended his arm to her, and she smiled as she snaked her own arm around his elbow. "Shall we go?"

"Lead the way," Was his reply.

--

(Later)

Pointing to his left with her free hand, Sakura directed him around a bend as she did so. "That's the place!" She chirped happily, as she made a concious effort to keep up her ruse.

Naruto turned and stared at the mass of people standing in line before the neon sign that proclaimed the name of the illustrious club. "Wow, this place _is_ popular. Ino did a good job."

They approached the well-built bouncer that guarded the entrance to the club, black sunglassses over his eyes, hiding them behind the opaque glass. From out of his pocket Sakura fished out a card and held it up to the beefy man.

She smiled brigthly at the bounce then, and jerked her head towards Naruto, who was glaring right back at the guard, sparks visibly flying between the two. "Take it easy Bruno," She said cheerily, causing the muscled man to look at her card, then back to her.

She flashed him the peace sign in response. "He's with me."

The bouncer nodded and allowed the two entry. Immediately they were assaulted by the music that was being blasted out of the speakers. Outside it had been an acceptable volume but inside it seemed to be ten times as loud.

Naruto started when Sakura grabbed his wrist and led him towards a flight of stairs. "Come on! I wanna give you a look around!" He then relaxed and started to look around the club, as he was led through it by his eager teammate.

Most of the ground floor was open-plan to maximise the amount of clubbers that could fit into the place. The bar ran around the edge of the dance floor and there was a set of doors that led off to the toilets.

Then there was the balcony that circled above the dance floor. This was a place for the VIPs to sit and watch the action below while they took a break from dancing.

He stumbled forward a bit, as he was led up the stairs, to yet another daccefloor, this one more crowded than its larger cousin on the lower level. A Dj was here as well, and Naruto was nearly deafened by the blaring bass speakers, as it felt like he had just gotten a Primary Lotus to the head from Lee on a sugar rush.

"Pretty loud, isn't it?" Shouted Sakura over the bass, a wide smile on her face as she said so. Naruto nodded and shouted his response as well. "Why did you bring me up here?"

She laughed as the music suddenly died away, to be replace by a song of a faster pace. "Simple. I wanted you up here, so I could have you all to myself. _'That, and Ino always comes up to this level to dance.'_

A grin grew on his face as the crowd parted to make room for them. "Then what are we waiting for?"

He pulled her into the crowd now, a grin on his face as the people closed in around them, moving to the music. "Let's dance."

--

Ino waved her hand to the bouncer, who stepped aside for the part time owner of the club. "Hey Bruno," She replied wearliy. "How's business?"

The big man grunted in response, as he allowed her to pass by. "Never been better boss. We've got a full house tonight."

This drew a small smile from her, as his deep gruff voice faded. She liked that in a man. Straightforward and obvious, not complex and confusing, like most men she knew.

Not that she liked the bouncer of course, it was only admiration that she held for him.

With a sigh, she felt the bass of the speakers roar into her ears, as she set her things down in a locker at the door, then closing her eyes, tried to shake herself out of the funk, the cloud that seemed to follow her everywhere.

"Relax. You're just here to have some fun."

Ignored were the desiring looks sent her way by some of the men in the club, as she headed for the stairs.

She wasn't here for THAT kind of fun.

--

Everyone kept glancing at Naruto and Sakura as the two friends tore it up on the dance floor, their faces incredilby close to the other's their noses brushing as they swayed back and forth, before the song changed again, as did they, mirroring the somewhat slower beat,

Naruto now got behind Sakura, who bit her lip to keep fro saying anything foolish, as she felt his hands on either side of her hips, her body now pressing against his, as they began to dance again. _'Damn it Ino! Where the hell are you!'_

She felt her face heatup as his arms moved from her waist, to encirlce about her stomach, laying his hands over hers, which were resting over her stomach.

She felt a stirring within her, and mentally cursed herself, as she made no effort to pull away from him, her mind telling her not to do this, but her body saying yes, yes, yes. _'Crap, crap, crap! If she doesn't get here soon, I won't be able to control myself..._

_--_

Ino sighed as she rolled her shoulders, nearly at the top of the steps now. "Maybe some dancing will ease my nerves...

--

Sakura bit back a groan as she slipped for one second, and turned herself around in Naruto grasp, facing him now, her arms having already snaked around his neck, her emerald eyes straying to his lips for one second, then looking away, only to lock into his deep cerulean eyes, which held her gaze there, and refused to let go. _'Dang it! This was the worst plan ever! I can't kiss him! No, no kissing!'_

She had to tell him why she brought him here, before she completley lost control.

"Naruto...

She was barely able to grind that word out, and the rest of it was growing increasingly difficult to say, as she was oh so tempted to give into her desires, right here and now.

"Yeah?"

"The reason I brought you here tonight was-

She looked away, finally pulling her gaze from his-

--

Ino got the shock of her life, the moment she climbed the last step.

The first thing she saw was Naruto and Sakura, in the middle of the large crowd, holding each other _very _close.

Angry tears began to swell within her eyes, as a hurt look etched itself upon her face. _'So that's why you wanted me to come here? So you could show off your new boyfriend?'_

She was unable to move, anger, grief, and shock rooting her in place.

She had been betrayed by her best friend.

--

Only to feel his lips against hers, covering her mouth with his own.

Her resolve flickered, her will swaying ever so briefly. _Kami, it feels so good..._

For just a moment, she gave in, kissing him back with a fierce intensity, as she grabbed him by the back of his neck, and snaked her tongue into his mouth.

Then she got control of herslef again, and ripped her lips from his, tears in her eyes as she pulled away. "I'm sorry, it wasn't for me."

His gaze, which had been dreamy just a moment ago, hardened, as he suspected foul play. "What are you talking about?" His voice was eerily calm, but that did not mean he wasn't angry inside.

She forcefully pulled away from him, lookinf fearfully at the crowd, hoping, _begging, _that Ino had not seen that. But then she noticed the blond, standing at the very edge of the crowd, hurt plastered all over her face.

Looking quickly to Naruto, and then to Ino, tears began to spill over her face, as she realized that she had just screwed Ino over, big time.

"I brought you here so I could hook you up with Ino," She groaned aloud, as she took a step forward, only for her now heart-broken frienf to shake her head rapidly, take a step backward, then turn tail and run down the steps, running faster than Sakura had ever seen her run.

Looking back to Naruto, she found that he too was gone, and looked back to the stairs just in time to see his yellow hair, then it was gone, as he ran down the stairs after the anguished Yamanaka.

--

Naruto was mad as hell, as he pursued her, losing track of her in the club, but catching the purple of her outfit, as she ran out the door, forcing him to weave through the crowd to follow after her.

"INO!"


End file.
